


Afterwards

by telperion_15



Series: Nick/Connor [13]
Category: Primeval
Genre: Aftermath, Alternate Canon, Alternate Timeline Character, Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-19
Updated: 2012-02-19
Packaged: 2017-10-31 10:32:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/343025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/telperion_15/pseuds/telperion_15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of Helen's little incursion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Direct sequel to 'Inside Men'.

He hadn’t realised anyone was there until a long-fingered hand suddenly intruded into his line of sight and pointed at a string of numbers on the computer screen.

“What does that mean?”

Connor started slightly, and responded grumpily. “It means that I’ve rewired some of the circuits incorrectly!” he snapped. “Half of this thing isn’t bloody well talking to the other half, and who knows how long it’ll take me to work out why!”

The surprised silence made him feel guilty, and he sighed. “Sorry,” he said, half-glancing apologetically at Stephen. “It’s not your fault.”

Stephen cast his gaze over the rest of the anomaly detector. “It got pretty beat up, didn’t it?” he observed.

“Yep,” Connor replied. “It’s amazing how many ‘stray’ bullets actually manage to hit things. First the security cameras, and now this.”

“You’ll be able to fix it, though?”

“Yes, I’ll be able to fix it. Eventually. Some of the components got pretty fried.”

“We’ll just have to hope that there aren’t any anomalies in the meantime.”

“Do things the old fashioned way and wait for the screaming to start,” Connor agreed. Then he looked at Stephen sharply. “Is that why you’re here? Has there been a creature sighting?”

“No,” Stephen reassured him hastily. “Nothing’s happened.”

“Good. Because I really need to get on with this.” Connor typed a few more lines of code into the computer, and then asked absently, “Is the Forest of Dean anomaly still open?”

“Still going to strong,” confirmed Stephen. “Although everything’s quiet there at the moment.”

“I can’t believe Helen went to all that trouble just to stop Nick going near it,” said Connor. “Talk about overkill.”

“Yes, well, Helen’s never happy unless she’s torturing someone,” Stephen said sourly. “Although Nick said she looked pretty upset when she realised she wasn’t getting one over on him after all. I wish I could have seen her face!”

Connor grinned. “Me too!”

“Although…”

“What?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I _had_ got the opportunity to speak to her,” Stephen confessed. “It’s not nice to be reminded of how stupid you were.”

“You weren’t stupid,” said Connor. Stephen just looked at him, and he shrugged. “Okay, maybe a _little_ stupid. But you didn’t have any choice but to go with her at the time.”

“No, I suppose not,” Stephen acknowledged. “I had to take the chance to get away from Lester and his goons.”

A tense expression flickered across his face, and Connor gave him a sympathetic look.

“Nick told me about you and the Cleaner,” he said awkwardly. “About how he was Lester’s muscle back in your world. Are you okay?”

“Fine,” said Stephen shortly. Then he relented. “I won’t pretend I wasn’t thrown for a minute,” he admitted. “I think Lieutenant Anders thought I was going to flip out on him or something. But it’s fine. I’m dealing with it.”

“Yeah, well, most people would have flipped out, so I think you’re doing better than fine. And just forget about Helen – she’s not worth worrying about.”

“I will,” Stephen promised. “She’s certainly forgotten about me, that’s for sure.”

Something in his tone caught Connor’s attention. “What is it?” he asked.

Stephen sighed. “Oh, just something Jacobs said,” he replied. “About me maybe being the reason Helen came here. Something about her being pissed off enough that I’d decided to leave her that she would try something as mad as this just to take me back.”

“Well, as it turns out, you weren’t important at all,” Connor said. He paused. “Sorry, that didn’t come out quite right,” he added, smiling. “But you know it wasn’t your fault, right?”

“What wasn’t his fault?” said a new voice.

Nick had come up behind them, and Connor jumped again, this time sending a screwdriver rolling along the desktop. Nick stilled it with his hand, and then looked at both of them

“What wasn’t his fault?” he asked again.

“Helen’s little invasion,” said Connor bluntly.

Nick gave Stephen a look that said, _you’re not still going on about that are you, because we’ve already discussed this_.

Stephen shrugged sheepishly. “I know it had nothing to do with me,” he said.

“Good,” said Nick briskly. “And here’s hoping that Helen’s retired to lick her wounds – maybe we won’t see her for a while.”

Stephen nodded emphatically as Connor murmured, “Amen.”

Nick gave them both a smile. Then the smile turned into a grin. “Don’t you want to know where I’ve been?” he said cryptically.

“I thought you had a meeting with Lester?” said Connor.

“Well, yes, I did,” Nick allowed. “But while I was there, Lester got a phone call from the hospital. It appears that the doctors are finally satisfied with Abby’s status, and they’re letting her go home tomorrow.”

Connor could feel his face splitting into a wide grin. “That’s great news!” he exclaimed. “So she’s going to be okay?”

“Seems so. She’ll have a scar, but apart from that she should make a full recovery. I got Lester to tell the doctor we’ll be by to pick her up tomorrow morning.”

“I think a celebration is in order,” Stephen said.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” replied Nick.

Connor frowned. “I really should finish this,” he grumbled.

Nick laid a hand on his shoulder. “Connor, leave it for a while,” he said. “You’ve been running yourself ragged over this damn machine for the past two days. You need to relax, and you need to be on good form for Abby tomorrow. Leave it,” he repeated.

Connor looked up at Nick, and then at Stephen, who smiled encouragingly. “Okay. I’ll need to sort out a few things for Abby, anyway.”


	2. Chapter 2

By the time they’d dropped Stephen off and reached Nick’s place, Connor had already covered three pages of a notebook with a list of things Abby might need or want when she came home from hospital, ranging from painkillers to magazines to her favourite brand of chicken soup. Nick glanced over his shoulder at the list as Connor sat down at the kitchen table and added a few more things to it.

“Don’t you think you might be overdoing it a little?” he commented. “I’m fairly sure Abby won’t need new pyjamas, or a portable version of Connect 4.”

“I don’t want to forget anything,” Connor objected. “She needs to be properly looked after.”

“And I’m sure you’ll do a fine job of it,” said Nick, smiling gently.

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Connor muttered, still scribbling.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing…it doesn’t matter.”

“Connor…” Nick’s tone was stern.

“Well, it’s just…she should never have got shot in the first place!”

“Of course she shouldn’t, Connor. But we didn’t know Helen and the Cleaners were going to turn up.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…oh, just leave it.”

Nick’s eyes narrowed as an unfortunate idea came to him. “Connor, you don’t think it was _your_ fault, do you?”

“I should have jumped in front of her or something. But instead I just stood by and watched as that bastard shot her!”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake!” The words came out angrier than Nick intended, and he tried to moderate his tone and expression as Connor looked at him apprehensively.

“Where _do_ you get these ideas from?” he said, shaking his head despairingly. “What did you say to Stephen this afternoon? You told him it wasn’t his fault. How about you listen to yourself once in a while? There was nothing you could have done, Connor.  _Nothing_. And even if you had jumped in front of her, how is you getting shot any better? It would just be you in hospital now instead of her. And I don’t think I could bear that,” he finished quietly.

“But…”

“Shush.” Nick cut across him. “Repeat after me: ‘It wasn’t my fault’.”

Connor looked like he was about to argue, but then gave in. “It wasn’t my fault,” he parroted obediently.

Nick nodded. “Good. And make sure you believe it.” He held out a hand. “Come on, leave that. We’ll take Abby some fresh clothes in the morning, but the rest of that stuff can wait. You’ve been working on the detector for two days straight, and you need some rest.”

He led Connor upstairs, and poked and prodded him into bed. The young man still looked a little dispirited, but he had a slightly more resolved air about him that Nick hoped meant his words had hit home. Sliding into bed next to him, he dropped a light kiss on Connor’s temple.

But Connor didn’t let him pull away again – wrapping his arms around Nick, he curled up against him, nuzzling Nick’s throat and holding him tight.

Nick sighed softly as Connor’s lips and tongue moved against his skin. He relaxed, letting Connor set the pace as he trailed kisses along Nick’s collarbone, his hands stroking Nick’s back in random patterns.

As he moved back up to Nick’s throat again, Connor paused and murmured something. Nick only just caught words, “Will you…?” and he smiled softly.

“Roll over,” he said quietly, reaching back as Connor did so to scrabble around in the drawer of the bedside cabinet. He found what he was looking for, and then spooned up behind Connor, kissing his shoulder as he stroked a hand down Connor’s back.

Connor moaned softly as the first slick finger pressed in, but then relaxed instantly. He didn’t need much preparation, and soon Nick was sliding his cock slowly into the pliant body, his knee between Connor’s legs as he rocked slowly, an arm round Connor’s waist pulling the younger man back against him as he pushed forward.

His hand found Connor’s cock, and he stroked it slowly as he continued to thrust gently, neither of them wanting to hurry things. Connor was still moaning and whimpering quietly, right up until the moment he gasped as his orgasm overtook him. A couple more thrusts sent Nick over the edge too, and he murmured Connor’s name as he came.

They were still for a couple of moments, and then Connor yawned widely. Nick chuckled, and then rolled away, grabbing a couple of tissues to clean them both up. Then he found Connor’s arms encircling him again as the young man snuggled against him. He heard a muffled, “Thank you,” come from the region of his shoulder, and chuckled again.

“You’re welcome. Now, get some sleep. Abby’ll be counting on you tomorrow.”


End file.
